


Trick or DiNozzo

by Calico_Cat_TIVA_Fan



Category: NCIS
Genre: Family Fluff, Family fun, Gen, Halloween
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:21:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27296323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calico_Cat_TIVA_Fan/pseuds/Calico_Cat_TIVA_Fan
Summary: Halloween as only the DiNozzos can pull off. Part of the "You Complete Me" universe
Relationships: Delilah Fielding/Timothy McGee, Ziva David/Anthony DiNozzo
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	Trick or DiNozzo

Trick or DiNozzo

_Halloween as only the DiNozzo family can pull off. October 2024_

"My costume is itchy," Rivka complained as Ziva herded the three younger kids towards the door. She tugged at the neckline of the princess dress as she walked. "I don't wanna wear this dress."

Ziva turned to her daughter, "We do not have time to change clothes. We are almost late to your preschool already. Where is your backpack?"

"I got mine," Beth held up her red backpack. "I'm ready to go!"

LJ handed the blue backpack to his sister, "Here ya go, Riv. I want to go to school too." He looked at his Ima with his best puppy eyes.

Ziva opened the minivan doors with her key fob as she steered the three kids towards the vehicle. "Rivka put your art smock from your bag on _under_ your costume. That should help with the itching. Beth, thank you for being ready to go. LJ, we have talked about this already. Now that you are three, you can start preschool in January."

She watched as the kids climbed into their car seats, making sure buckles were latched properly, especially on the twins since they had recently switched to booster seats that used the regular seatbelts.

Riv tried to put her smock on under her princess dress while her Ima drove to the school; she ended up with it twisted around her arms. As the family arrived at the preschool, Ziva glanced in the rearview mirror; she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud at her crazy child. So much of Tony in that one! She parked and led the kids inside, sending Beth into the classroom and guiding Riv in the direction of the bathroom.

"LJ, please sit here to wait for me; I need to help your sister," Ziva indicated a bench outside the two bathrooms.

"Okay, Ima."

She quickly opened the Velcro fasteners on the back of the child's dress and slipped the smock underneath. "Take your arms out of the dress sleeves and put them through the armholes of the smock," she directed the girl. "There you go; now put your arms back in the dress sleeves." She fastened the back of the dress again. "Is that better than it was?"

Riv nodded and ran to her classroom, "Bye, Ima!"

Ziva turned to get LJ and head out to run errands; the bench was empty. No three-year-old DiNozzo in sight; to where could he have disappeared? She checked the boys' restroom, the hallway to the twins' classroom and all of the classes along that hall. She was about to have the front office call for her wayward son over the intercom system when she spotted the little boy chatting with one of the kitchen workers.

"LJ!" she called out sharply. He glanced up at the sound of his name. "What were you supposed to do?"

He looked at the floor, "Wait for you at the bench…"

"And did you?"

"No, Ima. I saw Mrs. Sharon and wanted to say hello." He would not make eye contact with his mother as he spoke. Ziva acknowledged the cook and then knelt in front of her youngest.

"LJ, it was great that you wanted to say hello, however, you _should_ have asked permission first. Do you understand why?" she tilted his chin up so that he had to look at her.

"Cuz you gotta know where I am… and if I just go where I want… Then you get worried when you can't find me," he spoke quietly, hoping he wasn't in _too_ much trouble.

"That is correct," Ziva hugged her baby. "We have a _lot_ of errands to do this morning, so you will not have time out _this_ time. Come," she held out her hand to the little boy. He slid his hand into hers and skipped along at her side to the van.

"Where are we going?" LJ's curiosity was up.

"First, we have to drop the books at the library…"

"Can we see Miss Donna, PLEASE?" the boy interrupted his Ima. "She's funny and she gives good hugs."

"Yes, if she is at the circulation desk. We have to keep moving because then we are going over to NCIS so I can drop off a document that I finished translating," Ziva headed towards the local public library to return a stack of books that were due that day.

"NCIS?" LJ perked up. "Can we see Grandpa, and Uncle Jimmy, and Uncle Tim, and Aunt Ellie, and Aunt Abby, and Uncle Leon, and…"

Ziva chuckled, "If we have time and they are not busy, motek. We still have to get your sisters after their party for the PK4 classes." She pulled into a parking slot at the library. "We are _not_ choosing books today; we will come back on Saturday," she reminded the little boy as mother and son exited the van. Ziva carried the tote bag with most of the books being returned; she handed LJ the smaller bag with four books that didn't fit in her tote.

Inside, LJ slid the books in the return bin slot and spotted his favorite person at the library. His bag was empty, so he dropped it at his Ima's feet and scooted around the corner of the front desk, headed to Miss Donna's office. He followed behind his friend as she entered her office from the break room.

"Hi, Miss Donna!"

"LJ! How is my favorite DiNozzo today?" the little boy hugged his friend as she wrapped him in a hug.

"I thought Abba was your favorite?" he grinned at her.

"Shh… don't tell him, but _you_ are my fave," she winked conspiratorially. "You give the best hugs."

Ziva didn't notice the boy take off as she was unloading her tote into the second return slot. By the time she finished emptying her bag, LJ was nowhere in sight. She looked towards the children's section, then towards the offices behind the circulation desk.

"Anyone see which way LJ went?" she asked the two workers at the front desk as she grabbed the small bag from the floor and folded it into her tote.

"No ma'am," both replied.

"IMA!" LJ called out to his mother from the door of Miss Donna's office. "Look at Miss Donna's cowgirl costume! She gots a cow vest like Woody in _Toy Story_!"

"Inside voice, LJ," Miss Donna reminded her little buddy. "And even quieter than that because this is a library…"

"Oops, yep. Like the _Library Lion_ ," LJ grinned as he walked hand in hand with his friend to the front desk.

"Hello; I am sorry if he bothered you. He has been running off all morning without asking," Ziva glared at her son with her best 'Ima glare.'

The other woman smiled, "No problem; I'm always happy to see my buddy LJ." She turned to the little boy, "Hey, you have to remember the rules and tell your mother when you want to go see someone or something. Promise me you'll remember today?"

"Yes, ma'am," LJ grinned his best and most charming DiNozzo grin. "Trick or treat!" he grinned even wider when she placed a full-sized package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in his hands. "Oh, wow! TODA! Thank you, Miss Donna."

"Remember to ask your Ima if you can eat the candy before you open the package," she winked at Ziva who nodded and mouthed ' _Thank you._ '

~Halloween~

About half-way to the Navy Yard, Ziva heard the familiar rustling of a candy wrapper. She glanced in the rear-view mirror at her three-year-old. LJ had half of a peanut butter cup in his hand; she could tell his mouth was full.

"LJ, did you ask to have the candy?" she reminded him.

He shook his head and spoke with a mouthful, "No, Ima." He swallowed what was in his mouth, "But I'm hungry."

Ziva smiled to herself, his father's child to a tee. "It is okay for you to have the candy, but if you get any more at NCIS, you will not eat that candy. Understood?"

"Yes, Ima. Toda," he shoved the rest of the peanut butter cup in his mouth and grinned. He licked the chocolate off his fingers and grabbed the second candy from the wrapper.

At the gate to the Navy Yard, Ziva held out her credentials for the young guard to scan with the barcode reader. "Hello, Joseph," she greeted him by name; he was often on duty when she arrived on Thursdays.

"Hello, Mrs. DiNozzo, um Agent DiNozzo; is that my buddy LJ in the back?"

Ziva smiled, "It _is_. We are only here for a short visit today."

"Happy Halloween, ma'am. Happy Trick-or-Treating, LJ!" he waved Ziva on through the main gate. LJ heard his name and waved to his friend.

Ziva parked and looked back at LJ; he had chocolate on both hands and on his face. He was licking the chocolate off his hands and grinned at his Ima. Ziva grabbed a wipe packet from the center console to clean her messy little boy before heading inside.

"When we go inside, I want you to be on your best behavior. Do not run off and do not bother anyone if they are working. It is okay for you to visit _if_ you are given permission," Ziva ran the wipe over LJ's hands and face. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Ima," LJ gave his mother his best serious look. Ziva had to bite the inside of her lip to keep from laughing out loud; the boy looked so much like his Abba. "Where are we going?"

"I have to drop off the translation of the letter I was working on, so first we will go to my work area," Ziva explained as they walked to the main entrance. She ran her credentials under the scanner as the guard handed LJ a visitor's badge. "Thanks, Meg."

"Hey, LJ," the guard called to the little boy. When he turned to respond, she handed him a bag of chips, "Happy Halloween, bud."

"Thanks!" the boy grinned. "Ima look, my favorite Sun Chips with cheese!" He held up the small package for his mother to see. "I _hope_ I get lots of candy and snacks, even without my costume!"

"Remember that you are to save any food for later. You are not to eat any more candy until we have lunch," she reminded him sternly.

Mother and son entered the elevator to ride up the floor with the international division where Ziva's desk was. When the elevator stopped at the floor for the MCRT, Ziva looked out to see who was getting on.

"Hey, Ziva; hey LJ!" Ellie Bishop greeted the pair. "I'm heading down to Abby's lab; where are you headed?"

"I have some work to turn in," Ziva held up the manilla envelope with her translated document. "If we have time, we will visit with the team."

"How about LJ comes with me?" Ellie suggested. "That way he can visit while you do what you need to get done."

" _Please_ , Ima?" LJ used his best puppy eyes.

"That is fine; remember to be on your best behavior for Aunt Ellie," Ziva nodded as she stepped out at her floor. "I will text you, Ellie, when I am done." She headed off to her work area as Ellie let LJ press the button for the floor with Abby's lab.

As the elevator doors opened on the lab level, LJ ran out towards the lab doors. "Aunt Abby!" LJ shouted over the heavy metal music that was blaring in the lab. "AUNT ABBY!"

Abby turned around to see Ellie entering the lab and LJ barreling towards her. The little boy crashed into her and wrapped her in a hug. She hugged him back as tight as she dared. "Hey, LJ, what are you doing here?"

"Ima had to drop something off, so I came with her," he answered. "Aunt Ellie brought me here."

"Cool. While I show Aunt Ellie the stuff I found for her, why don't you go pick out some of the cookies I baked? They are on my desk." LJ ran towards the lab office as Abby pulled up the pictures of the stab wounds on the MCRT's latest victim. "I didn't want him to see the pictures," she explained.

LJ found the jar of cookies on Abby's desk. He lifted the lid and peered inside; there were so many to choose from that he decided he needed one of each type. He grabbed a folded paper towel from the pile on the counter and opened it all the way. He placed cookies on the opened paper as he dug through the various ones in the jar. Black-iced cat and witch on a broom shapes, white-iced ghost and skull shapes, orange-iced pumpkin shapes, and purple-iced witch hats all went on his pile. He knew from prior visits that Aunt Abby was showing pictures that she didn't want him to see because she sent him to her office.

"Aunt Abby is it okay to come out now?" he called out the doorway.

"Just a few more minutes, LJ!"

"Okay," he wrapped his cookies in a second paper towel and noticed the moveable ribcage on the table by the desk. The ribs were hinged where they joined the front part; LJ opened and closed the hinges a few times. It was pretty cool; he got the idea that it might fit over his body, so he opened the hinges and held the front of the ribcage up to his body with his hands grasping it from the bottom side. He wiggled slightly to get his head above the top of the sternum and moved to check how it looked in the reflection in the glass door. As he moved, he brushed the outer parts on the desk; the hinges snapped shut, wrapping the ribcage model around the little boy's body and arms. He looked at his reflection; it was really cool to be a walking ribcage, but it was a bit tight with his arms inside. He pushed against the moveable parts and nothing happened. He pushed a bit harder not knowing that pressure caused the hinges to lock in place. Uh oh, he was STUCK!

Ellie's phone buzzed as Abby changed images on the screen. Bishop looked at her phone, noticing a message from Ziva. She swiped the screen and quickly replied that they were still in the lab. Ziva responded that she would come to Abby's lab to retrieve LJ. Ellie and Abby continued looking at the images as LJ tried to get out of the ribcage model. Only his head and legs were sticking out.

"Aunt Abby; Aunt Ellie!" LJ called out.

"Just a few more minutes, LJ. Your Ima is on the way down too," Ellie called back.

"Uh, okay." LJ tried to think of a way to free himself. If Ima caught him in his current predicament, she'd probably scold him for playing with Aunt Abby's work things. He would be told that he should not have even touched the ribcage model. He managed to walk behind the desk and out of sight from the doorway. Maybe he could get the thing off himself _before_ Ima saw him.

Ziva stepped off the elevator and entered the lab, "Hello, Ellie and Abby." She looked around, "Where is my son?"

Abby turned to look around, "Um, well, I sent him to my office while I showed the pictures of the victim to Ellie. He should be in there."

Ziva glanced into the office from where she stood, "I do not see him." She and the others looked around the lab thinking the little boy had found a hidden corner to play. "LJ?" she called out. "Where are you?"

"Ima! I'm in here," LJ answered. Ziva turned at the sound of her son's voice.

"Where is _here_?"

"Aunt Abby's office." Ziva could hear the little boy's muffled voice as she walked towards the lab office. Once she was inside, she could see him standing behind the desk in what appeared to be a plastic ribcage model. "Hi, Ima… um… I'm stuck."

"I found him," Ziva called out to the others. "He has gotten himself into a bit of a predicament." She tried not to laugh at the expression on the child's face as she walked around the desk. "How did you get stuck in _that_?"

"I held it up to me 'cuz it's so cool, but it snapped shut on me," LJ tried to explain as Abby and Ellie came into the office. "But it won't open again… I'm stuck…"

"Oh my gosh, you are so stinking cute in that ribcage," Abby gushed. "I _have_ to get a picture." She pulled her phone out of her lab coat pocket. Ziva grabbed her phone and snapped a few pictures as well.

"Not funny. I am _STUCK_ in this thing!" LJ complained. "Get me out! PLEASE!"

"Abby?" Ziva gestured at LJ. "It is _your_ ribcage model that he is stuck inside."

"Um, yeah…" She tugged at the moveable parts; when they didn't budge, Abby realized that the hinges had locked. "Um, LJ, I gotta make it tighter for a minute to make it let go… That might hurt a bit…" She pressed the sides closer in.

"OW!" The little boy pouted and grimaced at the same time.

"Sorry, this is the only way," she pressed a bit harder and the hinges unlocked. Once the sides were spread open, Abby lifted the ribcage off LJ.

The child didn't move; he looked at his Ima and then at the floor. Ziva figured out that he thought he was in big trouble. When he refused to look her in the eye, she put a hand on under his chin and lifted his face.

"Motek, you are not in trouble. It was an accident that got you stuck," she smiled at her little boy. "Even though you should have asked to see the ribcage model _before_ you picked it up."

LJ grinned, "Thank you Ima. I promise to be good for the rest of the day." He grabbed his cookies from the corner of the desk, "Thank you for the cookies, Aunt Abby!"

"You're welcome, buddy!" Abby high-fived the kid.

"He should not make promises that he cannot keep," Ziva whispered to Ellie. "He takes after his Abba that way."

~Halloween~

Upstairs in the bullpen, LJ greeted everyone, "Hi, Uncle Clay, Uncle Nick, and Uncle Tim! Where's Grandpa?" He followed Ellie to her desk for the candy bar she promised to give him and added that to his collection of treats. Uncle Nick had an orange for the boy and he also gave him a small paper bag to hold all his treats.

"Uncle Tim, where is Grandpa?" LJ asked again when he arrived at the team leader's desk.

"I think he's training the new team today, LJ, but we'll all see him later when we go trick or treating," Tim put a package of Nutter Butters in the bag for his nephew.

LJ sighed with disappointment, "Thank you everyone for the treats. I _really_ wanted to see Grandpa…"

"He's over in the next building with the new team, LJ," Leon Vance came down the stairs. "I heard you were visiting so I brought you a treat." He handed LJ a roll of five-flavor LifeSavers candies.

"Thank you, Uncle Leon!" LJ added the candy roll to his bag of goodies. "Trick or treat, everyone!" he called out as Ziva led him to the elevator.

~Halloween~

"Ima, my costume _still_ itches," Rivka pulled at the neckline and sleeves of her princess dress as she followed her siblings to the front door. "We got lots of candy at school. Beth ate some of hers, but I saved all of mine. We got apples and raisins and little bags of candy corn and…"

"I did not eat my candy; you ate it," Beth shot back at her twin. "I _told_ you that I didn't like the candy corn and you ate mine. Ima, make her give me something in trade. She shouldn't just take my candy."

"You _gave_ it to me," Riv stuck out her tongue and marched into the kitchen for snacks. She continued to pull at her costume as she walked.

LJ showed Beth his bag of goodies from NCIS and the library, "Aunt Abby said she has more cookies for later when we go trick or treat at her house. I got Reese's cups from Miss Donna, but I was hungry, so they are in my tummy. She was dressed up as a cowgirl and she had a cow vest like Woody in _Toy Story_."

Ziva gave each child a juice box and split two sliced apples among the three kids. She had just finished slicing two more apples for Tali and Anthony when the two older DiNozzos came in the front door.

"You are just being a grouch, Tali," Anthony told his sister as they hung up jackets by the front door.

Tali sighed, "Why? Because I said that Halloween is for little kids? I _think_ it's boring."

"Well don't let Aunt Abby hear you say that," Anthony hugged his Ima and took his pile of apple slices to the kitchen table. "Thank you for the snack, Ima!"

Tali hugged her mother, "Thanks for the snack, Ima." She turned to Anthony, "Besides, Abba says Halloween is the _worst_ time of the year and that Aunt Abby is a Halloween _freak_."

"be nice, Tali; you do not have to repeat everything your father says," Ziva shot a glare at her first-born. Rivka stood up and scratched at her arms and back of her neck. "Riv, come here please." Ziva motioned her middle child to the counter.

"It is itchy, Ima! Lots of itchy," the girl complained as her mother turned the child so she could undo the fastening on the back of the costume.

"Where is your art smock?"

"I was too warm, so I took it off," the child explained. "Why?"

Ziva slipped the dress off the child; her back, arms and chest were covered in red blotches. "I think you have a rash," she pointed to the raised red spots. "Stay here while I get the anti-itch cream from the bathroom." Most likely a case of allergic dermatitis, Ziva figured; she'd learned with her brood that all of them, including her big kid, had reactions to certain brands of laundry detergents, some soaps, and some cleaning products.

The other kids went off to play or do homework while Ziva dabbed the cream on the rash on Rivka. She had the child get a loose-fitting top and pants from her room to put on, telling her that they would check the rash again after dinner and before going out for trick or treating.

"What am I gonna do for a costume?" the little girl asked with concern. "I _really_ want to be a princess!"

"We may have to find another costume," Ziva assured her child. "As your Abba would say, a 'Plan B' for a costume. You may go play now with your sisters and brothers."

"Okay, Ima," Riv trusted her mother to fix everything for her to have a costume for the night's festivities. She ran off to find the others as Ziva pulled a large container of frozen beef stew from the freezer to heat for dinner.

Tony walked in the front door at 1735 and was immediately swarmed by all but Tali. The kids were all anxious to get out for trick or treating, and Ziva had reminded them several times that they would all get to go _after_ Abba came home.

"Abba, I got my lion costume on," LJ showed off his new lion costume with the furry mane around his face on the hood. "Can we go trick or treating _now_?"

Beth twirled around in her pink and red princess dress, "Do you like my princess dress, Abba? I have a crown too, but Ima said I hafta wait until we go out to wear it."

"I'm ready to go as well," Anthony wore a black and white striped set of sweats that he and Ziva had worked to make look like a zebra. Anthony was especially proud of the 'mane' they'd created with yarn on the hood and neck and the tail with its yarn tip. "I told Mrs. Dooley we'd be by for candy tonight. She wants to see all of our costumes and she asked if we are bringing Asher again this year."

Riv tugged at her father's sleeve, "I got a rash from my princess dress. Ima says we have a 'plan B' for my costume. I want to be a princess with my blue dress. It's not fair that my dress is itchy, and Beth's isn't."

Tony hugged his number two mini-Ninja, "We'll figure it out, I promise. Remember when I got the rash from the t-shirts we all got to match for the Fourth of July?"

Riv nodded, "Yeah, you put another shirt on _under_ it…"

"Bingo! Maybe we can get enough layers to keep the rash away," he grinned as she smiled for the first time since he'd been home. "After dinner, Ima and I will help you figure it out."

He wound his way to the kitchen where Ziva was stirring the stew and Tali was doing homework at the counter. "Hey, Tali-T; what's up?"

Tal shrugged, "Same old same old. Do I hafta go trick or treating?"

Ziva held up the spoon for her husband to take a taste of the stew. He cleaned the spoon and then kissed her softly.

"Mmmm, both delicious," he teased. Turning to his oldest, he gave her a questioning look, "NO trick or treating? Are you the same Tali who was so excited last year?"

"Halloween is for little kids; I think it's boring," she sighed. "Besides, dressing in a costume is stupid…"

"Oh, no!" Tony fake gasped. "Do not let Aunt Abby hear you say that…" He moved over by the girl and whispered to her, "I agree, but don't tell the other kids. I have hated Halloween since I was a beat cop."

"So, do I hafta go?"

"This is family time, so the answer is yes," Ziva replied to her daughter. "We will be going out in our neighborhood first and then meeting the McGees to go to Aunt Abby's apartment and to Grandpa's house for treats. I _think_ we will also meet the Palmers at Aunt Abby's place. You can see Tori."

"Okay," the ten-and-one-half year old sighed with resignation. She wasn't going to win this one; better to choose another battle.

"Dinner is almost ready," Ziva announced. "Whose turn is it to set the table? We need spoons, knives for the butter for the bread, and soup bowls and small plates. Everyone has milk with dinner since we will be having other beverages later."

Anthony and LJ jumped up from the kitchen breakfast nook table to do their chores; LJ to put the silverware and dishes on the table and Anthony to get everyone's drinks set out. Ziva took the rolls from the oven as Tony carried the pot of stew to the table. Soon they were all enjoying one of the family's favorite cooler weather meals.

After the meal, Tali and Beth loaded the dishwasher and started it running. Tony went with Rivka to the twins' room to help her find something to wear under the princess dress so it wouldn't make her rash reappear. They dug through clothing and found a pair of pajamas with a long-sleeved top and long-legged pants that was snug but not too tight to go underneath the offending costume. By the time the others were ready to go, Riv was grinning that she got to wear her blue princess dress.

Asher had on a costume that made him into an Imperial Walker AT-AT from _Star Wars_ that Tony had found on clearance after Halloween the previous year. Daisy had on Halloween-themed cape. All of the neighborhood kids came over to check it out and the dog loved the attention. Tali put on one of her Abba's old jackets and called herself a hobo, her concession to dressing in a costume.

Ziva sat on the front porch to give out candy to the other trick or treaters, while Tony walked around the subdivision with the kids. First stop was next door at Mrs. Dooley's house. The grandmotherly woman oohed and aahed over the kids' and dogs' costumes. She gave each DiNozzo a small lunch-bag full of treats, including candy, homemade cookies, and brownies. Asher and Daisy each got a sack of home-made dog treats made with pumpkin, peanut butter, and freeze-dried chicken pieces. Both dogs sat and waited for her to give them some to eat after handing Tony their bagsful.

The kids made the rounds of the neighborhood while Tony hauled the kids' red wagon and the dogs behind them. Each of the children had a larger shopping bag in the wagon into which they dumped their loot when the bags they carried got full. The treat bags for the dogs were also in the wagon. At the last house on their street, Tony glanced at his watch, noting that they needed to be at the McGee house in about thirty minutes.

"Time to head on home so we can get ready to go over to see your cousins," he announced to his five as they exited the driveway of the final house. "Asher and Daisy are about ready to take their costumes off as well."

"Are we going to Grandpa's house?" LJ inquired of his Abba.

"McGee house first, then Aunt Abby's, and finally, to Grandpa's house."

"Okay, as long as we get to see Grandpa. I missed him at NCIS because he was busy," LJ just wanted to show his grandfather his new lion costume.

~Halloween~

Abby squealed in delight as the seven kids entered the apartment complex's courtyard area between the two buildings. Many of the complex's residents had set up stations at the tables and benches in the outside common area for the kids to trick or treat.

"Make your way around the loot stations," she told them. "Tori and Charles are out there somewhere." She pointed to the crowd in the courtyard area. "When you are done, I have some more stuff just for you all in my apartment. Have fun!"

Ziva and Delilah stayed with Abby at her loot station, where she was handing out candy bars and snack-sized bags of popcorn. Tony and Tim wandered around with the kids to keep an eye on them.

"Still hate Halloween?" Tim joked as Tony unwrapped the candy bar Abby had given him.

Tony nodded as he bit off a piece of the chocolate, "Mm-yep. Don't tell Abby, but Tali is not a big fan of all this." He gestured at the swarms of kids and adults in a variety of costumes. "She thinks costumes are for little kids and boring."

"Oh?"

Tony was about to reply to his brother when Beth ran up to her Abba with a juice pouch in her hands. She tripped and fell into her father; the juice spurted out onto the front of Tony's jeans.

"Sorry, Abba!" Beth looked at the huge wet mark on his jeans front and tried not to giggle.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She grinned, "Yep. I was gonna give you my juice pouch 'cause I don't like this flavor. It's yucky." She held out the now mostly empty pouch. "But most of it spilled out… on you!" she pointed to his jeans.

He looked down and sighed as he registered the wetness seeping down to his skin. "Put the rest of it in the trash can over there," he pointed to a covered trash bin nearby. "Crap," he muttered to Tim who was trying hard not to laugh at Tony's predicament.

"You look like you peed your pants," the younger man smirked.

"NOT funny!"

"Is too."

"NOT!" Tony looked around to see if any of the loot stations had paper towels or napkins that he could use to blot out some of the liquid. "Hey, would you keep an eye on my kids while I go to Abby's apartment to see if I can get some of the liquid out of my clothes?"

"No prob," Tim responded as Tony headed towards Abby's setup.

Ziva noticed the wet mark on her husband's jeans as he approached, "Accident?"

"Not what you think; mini-Ninja, juice pouch, me… collision," he summarized his predicament. "Abby, is your apartment door unlocked?"

"Nope, but here are my keys," she handed him her keyring with the skull dangler. "You still have a change of clothes in your vehicle?"

"Not in Ziva's van, just in my truck…" he answered. "I'm just gonna try to blot some of the liquid out of my jeans and underwear. Maybe that'll make it dry faster."

~Halloween~

Ziva had to bite her tongue as Tony returned from Abby's apartment; not only was the wet spot larger, but also the neighbor's dog was trying to lick the front of her husband's pants.

He saw her look and held up a hand, " _Don't_ ask…"

"I shall not."

He sidled up to her, "If you have to know, I tried to get some of the juice out by rinsing my jeans… _big_ mistake! They got wetter and the spot spread. I had to take off my underwear…"

"Remember what happened when you went commando at NCIS in jeans," she reminded him with a smirk. "Are you going to need me to make the special ointment again?"

"Ha! I _did_ remember, and I used one of the clean rags from the emergency kit in your van to provide a barrier between skin and jeans," he smirked back at her. "Even if the rag is getting damp from the wet jeans… Gotta protect the family jewels!"

Tali approached Abby's loot station, "Are we going to Grandpa's house soon? This is boring." She spoke quietly to her parents not wanting to send Aunt Abby into a tirade about her favorite 'holiday.'

"Yep, we should get going soon; let me find your brothers and sisters," Tony replied as he glanced over the crowd for signs of his other kids and Tim. "Hey, did you know that the Palmers are here? I see Breena by the orange tent."

"I just sent a text to Tim," Delilah noted.

"I see the twins and John and Charles," Ziva pointed to the four at a table with a ring toss game. "I will get those four."

Within ten minutes all of the families were gathered at Abby's loot station to head to Gibbs' house. Abby handed each of the kids a large bag of goodies that she made just for them: cupcakes, iced cookies like the ones LJ got earlier in the day at NCIS, and each child's favorite candy.

"Thank you, Aunt Abby," all nine kids chorused as parents gently pushed them in the direction of the parking lot. "Trick or treat!"

Tony nudged his oldest, "Still bored?"

Tali looked up from inspecting the contents of her bag, "Yeah, even though Aunt Abby _did_ give me some cool treats. And my favorite candy bars; I _love_ chocolate-covered toffee!"

He held her back slightly from the others, "Let's prank the others when we get to Gibbs' house. I got the small sheet from the emergency kit in the van… and I put one of the larger helium filled balloons in the back of the van…"

"Ooh… I like!" Tali grinned at her father. Any time she could pull pranks on the others with his help was bound to be fun and get some laughs.

Once at Gibbs' house, the kids piled out and ran to the front door. Tali hung back with her father as the others followed the eight younger kids into the house. Father and daughter draped the sheet over the balloon and lengthened the string so they could control the rise and fall of the balloon and sheet. Knowing the family would most likely stay in Gibbs' living room and kitchen, they rigged the 'ghost' to appear and disappear in the window behind the sofa with a tug or loosening of the string.

Inside, the children all had to show off their costumes for Grandpa. LJ did his best lion roar too. Rivka had to tell her grandfather all about her itchy costume princess dress and the rash she had developed at school. She was part way through her story when the ghost rose outside the large window.

"Oh, cool, you got a ghost decoration!" the little girl laughed and pointed outside.

"Huh?" Gibbs turned around quickly, but the ghost had disappeared again.

"It was just there, Grandpa. A big white ghost looking in the window," Riv explained before finishing her story. She finished her tale and went into the kitchen where Ziva and Breena were pouring juice into plastic cups for the kids while Delilah fixed a plate of the goodies Gibbs had for each child. Each one got a caramel covered apple, a popcorn ball with chocolate drizzle and bits of candy corn, and a brownie decorated with Halloween-themed candy pieces.

John sat across from the sofa and was about to bite into his brownie when the ghost rose in front of the window again. "Hey!" he called out. "The ghost is back!" The other kids came running into the room, but it had disappeared yet again.

"I believe you, John," Rivka reassured her cousin. "I saw it too."

The others shook their heads not believing the two; Anthony and Katie decided their siblings were trying to prank the others. Outside, Tony and Tali high-fived as they listened to the conversation among the others through the screen door.

The three mothers sat on or near the sofa to chat while Tim and Gibbs got themselves a snack. Tali motioned to her Abba to move the ghost up again. Tony played out some of the string to make the ghost rise in front to of the window.

Ziva was telling Breena about her family's allergies to some fabrics and detergents when she startled slightly at the large white object outside the window. She laughed and commented, "This has Tony and Tali written _all_ over it, yes?" She pointed outside the window. Dee caught a glimpse of the white as it lowered.

Breena turned to see what Ziva was pointing at, "I don't see anything."

"Something white is all I caught," Dee noted.

"It was a 'ghost' made with a white sheet," Ziva replied. "Look, here it comes again!" she motioned to the rising ghost in the window. But this time, it only rose about a foot and stopped.

Tony frowned as he let out more of the string; the ghost didn't rise any higher. He tried to lower it below the window and again, it didn't move. He handed the end of the string to Tali and crept along the ground to the balloon and sheet. He followed the string with his hand and noticed that it had snagged on a small branch of the shrubs under the window. He pulled the string downward to get some slack between the snag and the balloon so that he could free the string. What he didn't realize is that the balloon was almost on top of a sharp twig.

"BANG!" the balloon popped loudly, and Tony jumped up from the ground. Tali laughed at her Abba from the porch while inside, Ziva and the others were rolling with laughter at Tony's startled expression.

Tony retrieved the remains of the balloon to put in the trash and folded the sheet to put back into the emergency kit in the van. He and Tali came inside to get their snack, still pleased with their prank.

"Good prank, Tony!" Jimmy grinned.

Gibbs shook his head but smiled, "Always the prankster, eh, DiNozzo?" He noticed the wet spot on Tony's jeans, "Scared yourself good this time?" The others snickered as Tony had to explain.

"Accident; me, juice pouch, mini-Ninja, collision…"

"That's your story and you're sticking to it?" Gibbs chuckled.

"No, really. Beth ran into me at Abby's apartment complex Halloween thing and her juice pouch spurted all over me," Tony tried to explain as he tried to cover the mark. The effect was to draw even more attention to his "little problem" instead of hiding the mark. "Geez, have some sympathy for a guy…"

Ziva patted her husband's arm, "You do know we are just giving you a difficult time because we can, yes?" She pecked him on the lips and followed him to the kitchen where he eyed the treats on the counter.

"Mm-hmm," he deepened the kiss. "By the way, you can give me this kind of treat anytime, Mrs. DiNozzo."

"I know," she was about to say more when they were interrupted by the kids.

"Happy Halloween everyone!" the nine said as one.

"Yep, Happy Halloween, even if Abba is really a grouch and a mess," Anthony added to the laughter of the others.


End file.
